McConnell hammers Hegseth over Pentagon funding plan, alienating allies
Key takeaways
- These key lines of effort only work if we put them on solid fiscal footing.
- But McConnell said that approach is tenuous given that the GOP could lose its majority come November elections.
- House appropriators raised similar concerns about how the defense budget is structured earlier Tuesday, when Hegseth sat for several hours testifying before the lawmakers.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Mc Connell objected to putting crucial Pentagon programs — such as the Golden Dome missile defense system, munitions, the F-35 fighter jet and drone production — in a reconciliation bill separate from the annual defense appropriations bill.
Political realities will not always allow a party-line budget reconciliation, and if the department s top priorities aren t built into annual appropriations, we re actually taking a big risk, McConnell said in his opening statement during a panel hearing. These key lines of effort only work if we put them on solid fiscal footing.
The Trump administration plans to fund its Pentagon budget for fiscal year 2027 via allocating $1.1 trillion in a traditional appropriations request and adding $350 billion through reconciliation, a process that allows the current Republican majority to sidestep any objections from Democrats.